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Michigan Receives $14.4 Million for Home Visiting Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 28, 2013

LANSING - The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program recently received $14.4 million in competitive expansion grant funding for federal fiscal years 2013 and 2014 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This new funding is in addition to $3.2 million in formula grant funding Michigan previously received for this program in 2012.

Governor Snyder has called special attention to the issue of infant mortality in Michigan. Home visiting programs not only impact infant mortality rates, but they also address several early childhood outcomes as well.

“This expansion grant is Michigan’s opportunity to further support prevention-focused home visiting in a number of at-risk Michigan communities,” said James K. Haveman, Director of the MDCH. “Expanding Michigan’s home visiting efforts is one of the key strategies identified in the effort to reduce our infant mortality rates. We know that this program works at improving school readiness, and decreasing child mistreatment which is vital to ensuring our children have the right start in life.”

The Home Visiting program is designed to promote maternal, infant and early childhood health, development, and safety; school readiness; and strong parent-child relationships. There are a number of issues that families in at-risk communities experience, including poverty, unemployment, crime and domestic violence, child maltreatment, substance abuse, infant mortality, and poor school outcomes. Through the evidence-based home visiting programs, families receive visits to the home where they work on a wide range of issues from family assistance, support, educational support, health and wellness, and more.

These grant awards are part of the Federal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. This new expansion funding provides an opportunity to deliver evidence-based early childhood home visiting services in order to aid families who need assistance and reside in at-risk communities.

For more information about the MIECHV program, visit: http://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/homevisiting/index.html. More information about the Michigan Home Visiting Initiative, visit www.michigan.gov/homevisiting.

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